A chilling scene unfolded in Afghanistan’s Khost province, where tens of thousands gathered to witness the public execution of a man — and where, according to local reports, a 13-year-old boy was the one who pulled the trigger.
Amu TV, citing witnesses, reported that the execution took place inside Khost’s central stadium on Tuesday and was attended by an estimated 80,000 people, after Taliban officials publicly urged residents to come watch.
The condemned man, identified locally as Abdul Rahman, son of Zabit, had been convicted of killing members of the teenager’s family. Before the execution, Taliban officials reportedly asked the boy whether he wished to pardon Rahman. When he refused, they placed a gun in his hands and instructed him to carry out the sentence. Moments later, he fired the fatal shots.
Taliban authorities said Rahman was given a “retaliatory punishment” after his case had been “thoroughly and repeatedly reviewed.” They added that the families of the victims were offered amnesty but declined. Officials also noted that the case had passed through primary, appeals, and high courts before being approved by the Taliban’s supreme leader.
Rahman was originally from Sanjak village in Paktia’s Syed Karam district, though he had been living in Khost’s Ali Shir and Terezio districts.
